Comparative evaluation of acetylcholinesterase status and genome damage in blood cells of industrial workers exposed to carbofuran

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 45; no. 12; pp. 2488 - 2498
• Main Authors: Želježić, Davor, Vrdoljak, Ana Lucić, Radić, Božica, Fuchs, Nino, Berend, Suzana, Oreščanin, Višnja, Kopjar, Nevenka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2007; New York, NY Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Acetylcholinesterase; Acetylcholinesterase - blood; Acetylcholinesterase - metabolism; AChE activity; Adult; Air Pollutants, Occupational; Air Pollutants, Occupational - toxicity; Biological and medical sciences; blood; Carbofuran; Carbofuran - toxicity; carcinogenesis; carcinogenicity; carcinogens; Case-Control Studies; Centromere; Comet Assay; DNA Damage; environmental exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Female; genotoxicity; Humans; Insecticides; Insecticides - toxicity; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; metabolism; Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective; Micronucleus assay; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; Occupational Exposure; pesticide residues; Pesticides, fertilizers and other agrochemicals toxicology; risk factors; toxicity; Toxicology; AChE activity; Carbofuran; Centromere; Occupational exposure; Micronucleus assay; Human; Status; Evaluation; Insecticide; Micronucleus test; Enzyme; Pesticides; Esterases; Acetylcholinesterase; Biological activity; Carboxylic ester hydrolases; Blood cell; Hydrolases; Lesion; Damage; Genome; Carbamate; Occupational medicine; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2007.05.025

Literature data on carbofuran genotoxicity in vitro and in vivo are very scarce. There are few papers indicating that occupational exposure to this AChE inhibiting insecticide might be connected to increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and lung cancer. Other authors showed its genotoxicity in vitro. We used comet and CBMN micronucleus assay combined with centromere probes to evaluate genome damage in lymphocytes of workers employed in carbofuran production. Also, the level of AChE activity in blood and plasma was measured. Only few workers exhibited AChE activity below 85%. Comet assay parameters were slightly but significantly elevated compared to control subjects, especially the long-tailed nuclei ratio. We found poor correlation between AChE activity and comet assay parameters, but significant effect of smoking and alcohol intake on the latest. In binucleated lymphocytes of workers significantly increased number of micronuclei, nuclear buds, and nucleoplasmic bridges was detected. Proportion of micronuclei with centromere, DAPI signal positive micronuclei was also elevated. Micronucleus assay parameters also appeared to be significantly influenced by duration of exposure to carbofuran. Together with published data on carbofuran’s effect on health our results might indicate the need for further evaluations of its genotoxicity using a range of different cytogenetic techniques.